Cool Go Kart

I think this is a cool go kart. It helps me decide how to build mine.

Vega Kart Tires

I have thinking a lot lately about building a go kart. I saw these tires on the internet and I really like them. I think they look like fast tires.

Devil's Swimming Pool

My Dad showed me these pictures In Zimbabwe, Africa. I thought they were pretty amazing so I thought I would share. These are the Victoria Falls at a height of 128 m. The location is known as "The Devil's Swimming Pool". During the months of September and December, people can swim as close as possible to the edge of the falls without falling over! These falls are becoming well known amongst the "radical tourist" industry as more and more people search for the ultimate experience.

Pinewood Derby, 1st Place!

This was my very first pinewood derby and it was definitely fun! We were very happy to get first place since we worked so hard on the car. It didn't lose a single race! The finish was really dramatic since the two fastest cars never met each other until the final round, so once all the rounds were done, they raced the two unbeaten cars 3 times switching lanes each time. My car won each time. The video shows every race that my car was in, in sequence up to the final rounds.

Pinewood Derby Car Finished

It's finished and ready for the big day! I hope we do well. If we don't, at least it was fun making it and it looks good!

We started by cutting the shape of the car on the side opposite of the already cut axle slots so we could cut our own. It's a good idea to relocate your axles further towards the front and rear of the car to get a longer wheelbase and make it track straighter. We also try to get the weight as far back as possible as this gives the car more potential energy. The car was too heavy, so we used the router to take some weight off. We decided to do it this way to keep the weight to the rear. It probably won't make much of a difference, but we thought it would be cool, and every little bit helps. As you can see, the car only rides on three wheels. This makes it even more important to have the weight to the rear so that the two rear wheels are always touching along with the front one that we chose. To get it to track straight, we bent the axle slightly on the front wheel that touches and grind a slot in the head so that it can be turned with a screwdriver once installed. We let it rolled down a piece of glass with a line, then turn the axle and adjust the alignment until it goes perfectly straight. Oh, and of course we sanded the wheels and polished the axles. So, here it is. We will let you know how it does!

Paper Rockets

We have been playing a lot lately with paper rockets trying to get some better designs etc. for the Skyline trip. Here is our latest design. Basically you just want a lightweight, aerodynamic design that will hold enough air pressure to get it up as high as you can. The launcher is just a 110 volt sprinker valve plumed for air with a switch and a length of pvc. We have the pressure set at about 150 psi. The rockets need to fit tight enough to allow pressure to build, but not so tight that it won't come off the pvc or just blow it to bits. This one has hot glue in the nose and a seal around the top end of the rocket so the pressure only has to be held in the nose to get lift off. The whole thing is covered in packing tape to protect it and make it more durable and able to hold the air pressure. The hang time we are getting with no chute is a little over 8 seconds. They go high enough that you sometimes lose sight of them, so they go high enough. It's really fun for the kids to try to come up with new designs etc. Anything will fly, so even small kids can build something and stick it on to launch...they just won't go as high with a bad design. Sorry you can't see much on the video, they really go fast!

Pinewood Derby Progress

My cub scout pinewood derby is on June 17th. So far we have the body done with a killer paint job. I think it will make some of the cub moms scared! What do you think?

Next we need to polish the axles and sand the tires. Then we will make it ride on only 3 wheels and align it so it tracks straight.

Crash Vids

This kid is only 8 and he jumps far.

Fun Vids of Kids on Bikes

Cool Enduro Video

David Knight Pics

We watched "the last man standing" on tv. David Knight won the race. I really like this kind of racing now and I wanted to put some pictures of David Knight on my blog. His size, at 6' 4", 207 pounds, and trials bike background make him perfect for this type of racing. Check out some of these pics I dug up on the internet. When we watched him on tv he was on a 300 ktm 2-stroke, but he rides a variety of bikes.

Monster Truck Game

OHV Class

Brayden wanted me to post this on his blog for him, so here it goes.
He turned 8 in February so we signed him up for the first class we could get him in to. He wanted to ride his KTM for the test but the piston went bad on our last outing and we haven't had a chance to fix it yet. Luckily he had a chance to ride his new bike over our Easter trip so he was able to have some confidence on the bike. There was a written test and a riding test that he had to pass. He got 92% on the written test! And on the riding test he did everything perfect! He had to do a series of starts and stops, some laps, tight turns, logs, side hills, figure 8's...The teacher was applauding him at the figure 8 section because he was the only one to do it right. The hill was optional for the class, but he did it easily as well. There were many older than him in the class, so we were very pleased that he did so well, and we are very proud of him.

Be sure to check out Brayden's other recent posts in the side bar as well as the other kid's on their blogs if you have not done so.

Biggest Ever?

Transworld magazine claims that this is the biggest whip that they have ever caught on film!

Here is a pic of Brian Deegan's new foam pit at the new mulisha compound. It should allow FMX riders in the mulisha to practice even harder tricks without getting injured.

Little Moab, March 2008

We went out to Nutty Putty last weekend and it was one of my favorite trips ever! I got to ride my new bike. At first I was a little scared of it because it's bigger, but after a while I got use to it and the way the power was and I had a blast! I rode more on this trip than any other trip! I really like this spot at nutty putty because it has a track and some really neat gulleys right by camp. We didn't even see anybody else on this track all weekend until Saturday when it was a bit busier and then there were a few other kids riding there for a little while, but I didn't mind too much. We still had the whole spot to ourself because everyone else stayed on the other side of the hills. I even learned a new trick! I started to turn my head in the air and practiced it until I could do it every time. In this first picture I turned my head almost all the way around. Here is a video of me jumping and some pictures of jumping and hunting for easter eggs. I got a new nerf long range gun for easter too and a guitar stand for my guitar.

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Sweet Off Road Video

This video is so cool! Monster trucks, dirt bikes, trophy trucks..all at the same time!

White Wash Sand Dunes

Sand Hill jumping is the best!So is Sand Castle building.
I had to ride my old bike a couple of times as well as try out my new one.

A boy, his brother, his dog, and hills to climb and look off what more could a kid want.

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Brayden's Birthday

Here are some pictures of Braydens birthday, he got everything he wanted and had a great time.
He decorated his own cake. I wish we could have gotten a picture of his face when he saw the electric guitar, he was pretty excited.